“We play in Toledo every year and my housing there, I call them my Toledo mom and dad, she has breast cancer and she’s going through the treatments now,” Sharp said on a conference call Thursday. “It was perfect timing for me.”
Sharp found out that her “Toledo mom,” whom she declined to identify, had breast cancer after tying for 28th at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic last July.
Her host didn’t reveal the illness until after the tournament to keep it from distracting Sharp. It was eventually revealed in an e-mail.
Sharp has twice stayed with the Toledo family and will do so again this summer.
“When people around you get cancer it’s really tough to take,” said Sharp. “And I have other housing I stay with throughout the year where I’ve learned they’ve gotten melanoma. It’s hard, you get to know these people because they invite you into their homes and they really do feel like your parents for a week.”
Golf Fore the Cure has raised over $1 million for the Canadian Cancer Society and Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. The program aims to increase women’s golf participation in the country.
Sharp is doing her part in that regard by making strides on the LPGA Tour. Her confidence-building 2007 season included a career-best seventh-place finish at the Honda LPGA Thailand, a tie for 10th at the CN Canadian Women’s Open and a career-low round of 63 at the Corning Classic.
The 26-year-old has carried that success into her fourth season on the tour, where she already has finishes of 25th and 27th in four events.
“I’m feeling really good about this season,” Sharp said. “I’m hitting the ball extremely well I’m just waiting for those putts to drop. I’m sure once one of them goes in, I’m going to make a lot and that’s when I’m going to win a tournament.
“I’m feeling a lot more confident this season and just believe that I should be out there and that I’m one of the best players in the world.”
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